Cristiano Ronaldo shocked the soccer world with his move to the Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr in January this year. After leaving Manchester United in a dramatic manner, fans were expecting Ronaldo to continue in European soccer. While most fans believe that Ronaldo‘s move to a less competitive Saudi league highlighted his inevitable decline, the Portuguese star certainly doesn’t think so.
According to Alarabiya News, Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t think that the Saudi Pro League is not competitive. Ronaldo said, “I think you should look at the (Saudi Pro League) in a different way. I’m not going to say that the league is a Premier League, that would be a lie. But it’s a very competitive league that I’m positively surprised by a very balanced league and good teams.”
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🇸🇦 Saudi Pro League ranking: 6️⃣6️⃣ pic.twitter.com/lCqtYv7QJZ
— MessivsRonaldo.app (@mvsrapp) March 2, 2023
Ronaldo further said, “I am sure that in the coming years the league will be the fourth, fifth, or sixth most competitive league in the world. ” As per the MessivsRonaldo.app, the Saudi Pro League is ranked the 66th best soccer league in the world. In Asia, it ranks second, just behind the Japanese soccer league or the J-League. Currently, the best-ranked soccer league in the world is the English Premier League.
The remaining top four leagues are La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1, and the Bundesliga. Currently, Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr is placed second in the Saudi Pro League. However, Al-Nassr is still in contention of winning the league this season as they sit just a point behind the league leaders, Al-Ittihad.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Saudi League pipe dream mocked by fans
Cristiano Ronaldo’s statement on the competitiveness of the Saudi Pro League has left fans in splits. Moreover, the fans consider Ronaldo’s thoughts on the league to be nothing less than a pipe dream. The former Real Madrid star’s statement immediately went viral on social media platforms, gathering hilarious reactions from the fans.
Here’s a series of Twitter reactions:
LMAOOOOO Laughs in camel
— clip (@clipCS) March 22, 2023
I speak for everyone when I say Saudi Pro League > Uber Eats
— CR7GOAT7 (@goat7_cr7) March 22, 2023
— James (@SmeajVEVO) March 22, 2023
Now take out the commas from the “5,6,7 years”, that’s what he meant.. 567 years.. pic.twitter.com/Qd6yhoLtnT
— 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐄𝐒 (@ChaaliiyKay) March 22, 2023
Bro said “im not going to lie” and then proceeded to lie
— Nate 🍍 (@LetArtetaCook) March 22, 2023
Cristiano Ronaldo broke the record for most appearances in international soccer after he started the game against Liechtenstein. He achieved his 197th cap in international soccer. He celebrated the achievement by scoring a brace in the form of a penalty, and a free kick. This was a good start for the Portuguese captain under his new manager Roberto Martinez.